Social Studies News and Opportunities

Advanced Placement® Teacher Training Institute at the University of Iowa

The Advanced Placement® Teacher Training Institute (APTTI) provides comprehensive preparation for developing and teaching an AP® course. APTTI takes place June 25-28, 2019 at the University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.

Each workshop includes: preparation of course syllabi and lesson plans; examples of classroom materials applicable to the particular AP® subject area; and preparation for the new College Board Audit, required for every AP teacher. The AP Teacher Training Institute is designed for teachers who want to learn to teach AP courses in one of the content areas, current AP® teachers, and educators who wish to strengthen the core curriculum.

Courses offered in 2019 include: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature & Composition, AP Physics 1, and AP U.S. History. Scholarships to help cover the cost of participation are available through the College Board and through the Belin-Blank Center. For more information, visit www.belinblank.org/aptti or email aptti@belinblank.org. Registration opens January 16.

Each year we recognize first-rate K-12 teachers who find creative ways to bring history alive in their classrooms. Winners are selected from each state and US territory, and become finalists for the national award.

State winners receive:

$1,000

An invitation to a 2019 Teacher Seminar

Free classroom materials

The national winner receives $10,000 and is honored at a ceremony in New York City.

The award-winning MASTERPIECE series on PBS, known for its outstanding interpretations of classic literature, also offers compelling historical dramas. A Historical Drama Collection on PBS LearningMedia provides educators with new and exciting ways to teach history. Along with videos from the series, resources include background information, discussion questions, activities, and research assignments that help students explore and understand historical events, people, and places. Grades 9-12. See attached flyer.

Coming soon … MASTERPIECE: Victoria (Season 3) Classroom ResourcesThe new season begins in 1848, a hugely dramatic and eventful time for both the royal family and Europe, with revolutions on the continent and uncertainty around the monarchy. The Great Exhibition of 1851 is also featured. Classroom resources from the new episodes are now being added to the Collection on PBS Learning Media. Watch Victoria beginning January 13, 2019. #VictoriaPBS. See a trailer here: https://to.pbs.org/2EmQdAN

Held at colleges and historic sites across the US and abroad, these weeklong seminars offer K-12 teachers daily programs with America’s leading historians, visits to local historic sites, and hands-on work with primary sources.

Looking for a fun yet challenging project-based learning opportunity for your students? Consider assigning StudentCam, C-SPAN's annual video documentary competition!This national contest invites all middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to create a 5-6-minute documentary, based on the theme:"WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AMERICAN?"Choose a constitutional right, national characteristic, or historic event and explain how it defines the American experience.Student videos should evaluate how this right, characteristic or event is upheld in our society, or challenged by current events. Rights or characteristics may include aspects of democracy, opportunity, liberty, justice, equality, diversity, unity, individualism, other rights, guiding principles, or shared values.

Students may compete individually, or in teams of either 2 or 3 members.

Entries must thoroughly explore a variety of viewpoints related to their chosen topic.

Documentaries must contain supporting C-SPAN video clips.

Students must submit their entry form and video by January 20, 2019.

C-SPAN awards a total of $100,000 in cash prizes! Students compete for a chance to win one of 150 prizes. Teachers also have the opportunity to win one of 53 Faculty Advisor prizes.Never participated before, or concerned with how to introduce the project to your students? Check out our updated Teacher Tips page for ideas like our introductory research guide that will help your students through the process of planning and creating their video.You will find a complete list of competition rules and documentary requirements, along with links to view past winning videos at studentcam.org.

C-SPAN StudentCam 2019 PosterTeachers, if you haven't already requested copies of our poster and would like to receive a FREE printed version of our 18"x 18" poster to display in your classroom, please complete this Google form with your preferred postal address and the number of posters you would like for us to send. Posters will be mailed the week of September 17.

BONUS:"Behind the Scenes" Photo ContestIn addition to the $100,000 in cash prizes that will be awarded to the winning documentaries, C-SPAN is asking students to take us "Behind the Scenes" of their documentary for a chance to win one of five $100 cash prizes. Requirements include:

Students share a photograph from the production of their StudentCam documentary on social media.

Students may post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or a Snapchat account - upload a photo, tell us about it, and include the hashtag #StudentCam2019.

Students then send an attached screengrab of their social media post along with the names of all team members and the name of their school to: educate@c-span.org

Students must submit their photo by the main competition deadline on Sunday, January 20, 2019. Five $100 prizes to be awarded in March 2019. To be eligible, students must also enter a documentary in this year's StudentCam competition but the documentary does not have to be one of the winning videos in order to win a prize in the "Behind the Scenes" contest.

Questions about the competition? Please email us at anytime at: educate@c-span.orgCraig McAndrew, Pam McGorry, and Tom GraneC-SPAN's Education team

The annual Conference on Illinois History is scheduled for October 4-5, 2018, at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in downtown Springfield and is the state's largest meeting devoted to the history of the Prairie State.The conference includes sessions that feature topics such as Abraham Lincoln, archaeology, Civil War, digital resources, early statehood, immigrations, museums, politics, race and popular culture. The mid-day presentation on Thursday is a roundtable discussion on Illinois Bicentennial Exhibits and will include speakers from prominent state museums and archives. On FridayFrank Cicero Jr. author ofCreating the Land of Lincoln: The History and Constitutions of Illinois, 1778-1870,describes the events of April 1818 that shaped the State of Illinois. Teachers will benefit from workshops on a variety of topics. TEACHERS: To receive CPDUs for the conference, teachers MUST have their Educator Identification Number when signing in at the conference. If you have questions, contact the Education Department at 217-558-8935.

National Park Trust (NPT) invites students across the country to participate in the 9th annual Kids to ParksDay ​(KTP). KTP is a nationwide grassroots movement to celebrate America’s parks and public lands andwaters. To inspire kids and schools to explore outdoors, we also host the Kids to Parks Day National SchoolContest, ​which ​is NOW OPEN! If you work at or attend a Title I school, you are eligible to enter and win up to$1,000 to fund your dream park experience.

The deadline for entries is Thursday, February 14, 2019​. Winners will be announced on the website Thursday, March 7, 2019​.

Click here to learn more about the contest, download the entry form, and watch our school video from lastyear!

Questions? Contact Billy Schrack, (william@parktrust.org) or Katie Zimmerman, (katie@parktrust.org) orcall 301-279-7275. Or if you would like to help sponsor this program, contact Maryann Kearns(maryann@parktrust.org).”

Earn professional development hours or university credit with Population Education this Fall!

Population Education is excited to announce that registration is open for our fall 2018 online professional development course for science and social studies educators of grades 6-12! The eight-week course runs from October 15 – December 7, 2018. Discover student-centered learning strategies that use contemporary issues and real-world data to examine the social and environmental impacts of human population and engage in meaningful dialogue with teachers across the world. The course is asynchronous, which means students can work at their own leisure and pace. There are weekly discussion boards and journals, and a final project, all built to provide participants with meaningful feedback and materials to use within their own educational setting.

Choose to earn 3 graduate credits from Adams State University or 45 professional development clock hours (4.5 CEUs) for completing the full eight weeks.

Lost in thought and feelings of despair over the latest tragedy in Florida, I decided to ditch my regularly scheduled government programming and opt instead to hold a congressional hearing simulation on gun control. My classroom will become the Senate Judiciary Committee considering a bill called the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This bill passed the House of Representatives in the fall and is slated for debate in the Senate this spring. In a nutshell, the bill says that any person from a state which has legalized concealed carry can travel into any state which has outlawed the practice. Essentially then, should this bill become law, a person’s right to concealed carry would have to be honored by all 50 states. Students assume the roles of actual Senate Judiciary Committee members who question other students who are playing the role of interest group representatives giving testimony on their positions for and against the bill.

With this latest tragedy fresh in the minds of legislators, the chances of this bill passing the Senate are slim. Yet, this activity is a valuable chance to explore why it is so hard for our society to agree on gun issues. Also, this is a golden opportunity to dive deeper into how all aspects of our government work together to try to address problems.Consider just some of the areas of government touched by this issue:

After the simulation is over, each student will generate a Big Question about the gun issue which emerged as a result of what they learned during the simulation. It’s hard to predict exactly what the students will want to ask but I’m confident the questions will lend fresh perspectives on an issue whose resolution is long overdue.

The Illinois Trial Team is a highly competitive collegiate mock trial team representing the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Having competed in the national collegiate mock trial tournament this past year, the team is composed of some of the top competitors in the collegiate mock trial circuit, and is coached by real attorneys and law school faculty alike. The team is currently in the process of developing a high school mock trial clinic aimed at giving Illinois competitors the opportunity to learn the skills and techniques which have led to our team’s success, including various tournament wins, attorney awards, and witness awards. This year, we plan on holding a reduced fee pilot program in preparation for a larger clinic next year. We are looking to receive feedback which will help shape our program, as well as gauge interest. If you are interested, please fill out the Google Form below. Any other questions regarding the program can be addressed to Vanessa Aceves at illinoistrialteam.vpe@gmail.com. Your feedback is much appreciated!

We need your help to turn our collection of handwritten correspondence between anti-slavery activists in the 19th century into texts that can be more easily read and researched by students, teachers, historians, and big data applications. In this project, we’re asking our volunteers to help transcribe Boston Public Library’s extensive collection of handwritten correspondence between anti-slavery activists in the 19th century into texts that can be more easily read and researched by students, teachers, historians, and big data applications.

Echoes & Reflectionsis the premiere source for Holocaust education and professional development which utilizes the unparalleled expertise and resources from three world leaders in education: the Anti-Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem, to empower teachers and students with the insight needed to question the past and foresight to impact the future.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources is a cost-free academic Internet directory that is part of the volunteer-run WWW Virtual Library System, with over 2000 carefully selected, annotated links in 34 international affairs categories. It is frequently maintained, receives worldwide use daily, and is designed for teachers, scholars, students, researchers, diplomats, and the interested public, among others.

This Virtual Library would be useful to high school social studies and foreign language teachers. This directory is supported by Elizabethtown College, PA, USA and has recently relocated to https://internationalaffairsresources.com. All external links to any former URLs of this site since 1999 will automatically be forwarded to the new URLs.

Users of this Virtual library can identify cost-free, authoritative, reliable, ongoing sources of statistics, information, and analysis in International Studies, worthy of regular consultation, and also benefit from general tips for more effective Internet use in academics and in serious international studies research. Please note the “Tips for Quality Internet Research in International Studies” section on the index page.

Founded in 2011, The Center for Reflective Citizenship (CRC) is a unit of UTC’s College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies. The CRC is dedicated to the revitalization of civic education in American schools and universities, and the equipping of a new generation of thoughtful citizens for the practice of democracy. The CRC, directed by Lucien Ellington, has an interdisciplinary focus.

Learn about our first extensive digital publication for teachers: 2017 Faculty Fellow American History and Government Teaching Modules!

The instructional modules, available at no charge, encompass a variety of significant themes, but all modules share the following commonalities:

An emphasis upon rich and intellectually engaging American history and government content

The Library of Congress invites you to help us in the effort to take newspapers Beyond Words. Join us to identify and improve information about illustrated newspapers in the Chronicling America digital collection. This brand new pilot project offers you the opportunity to explore historical newspaper coverage of World War I and contribute to Library of Congress collections at the same time.This project from LC Labs is an experiment in crowdsourcing and community engagement. Our goals are to gather more structured and usable metadata about the illustrations, comics, cartoons, and photographs in these newspapers; and to learn how to better connect to people who are interested in our collections.To help us reach our goal -- and to help ensure accuracy -- we've broken the work into 3 free-standing tasks. These tasks follow a sequence, but they can be performed independently. Feel free to focus on the one you enjoy the most!The information that is created through this project is being made available for download as data sets and for exploration via keyword search in the Gallery.

Travel the world affordably, earn professional development credit, and bring global understanding into your classroom!

Founded in 2007, Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that has sent over 2000 teachers abroad on adventurous travel programs. With GEEO educators can earn professional development credit while seeing the world. GEEO's trips are 7 to 21 days in length and are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for teachers. In addition to amazing tour leaders, many of the programs are accompanied by university faculty that are experts on the destination.The deposit is $250 for each program and then the final payment is due 60 days before departure.

GEEO also provides teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their experiences into the classroom. The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and university educators, administrators, retired educators, as well as educators’ guests.

Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates, and more can be found at www.geeo.org. GEEO can be reached 7 days a week, toll-free at 1-877-600-0105 between 9 AM-9 PM EST.-- Jesse WeiszExecutive Director, GEEO Teacher Travel ProgramsPhone: 1-877-600-0105Email: jesse@geeo.orgWebsite: www.geeo.org

Big Questions Blog from ICSS member Dan Fouts.

This blog celebrates the power of Big Questions. Discover lucid examples of Big Questions and resources that inspire teachers & students.Dan has been teaching high school in the Chicagoland area since 1993 using Big Questions in his AP Government, US history and philosophy classes.

Back by popular demand, the World of 7 Billion student video contest helps you bring technology and creativity into your middle and high school classes. The contest challenges students to create a short video connecting world population growth to one of three global challenges: preserving biodiversity, sustainable resource use, or human rights. Students can win cash prizes (featuring 80+ new prizes this year!), and participating teachers will receive free curriculum resources. The deadline for submissions is February 28th, 2019 – use this lesson plan to get started now! Full contest guidelines, resources for research, past winners, and more can be found here.

Teaching American History.org is excited to unveil another great resource for teachers and students! We’re offering free American History Toolkits to help you teach several major eras and topics in our Nation’s history.

Toolkits are topically-focused collections, each made up of resources from around TeachingAmericanHistory.org, and organized to provide for easy access to a variety of materials.

Topics include:

The American Founding

Expansion & Sectionalism

Civil War & Reconstruction

The Progressive Era

The Great Depression and World War 2

Civil Rights

Each Toolkit contains:

Guiding Questions for the topic as a whole, with criteria for good answers

Our whole purpose at TeachingAmericanHistory.org is to provide teachers like you with resources you need to thrive. We hope you (and your students) will find these Toolkits useful classroom resources.

Order your FREE American Presidents Timeline Poster! Our free American Presidents Timeline poster is available for order. All orders received by Thursday, August 3 will be processed and shipped next week.This colorful 6' long poster details the lives and public service careers of every president, plus key historical events, Supreme Court cases, Constitutional Amendments, and technology milestones throughout history.To reserve yours, simply visit our Special Offers page, log-in, and click on "Get This Offer." The poster is FREE of charge to C-SPAN Classroom members (* limit of one poster per member and only available to members residing in the U.S. and territories).Already ordered a copy earlier in the spring but never received it? Simply email us at educate@c-span.org with your preferred postal information and we'll get another one in the mail.

Last October we asked for your votes and thanks to you we are rolling out the first of several programs for Illinois students! Please take a look at the following information and kindly share the news with K-12 educators and community leaders or consider participating yourself!Message follows...

With the school year approaching, teachers may be looking for opportunities for their students to learn while giving back. Look no more! With your help we were able to secure funding from Farmers Insurance and are pleased to introduce Illinois Waterway Cleanup Week, September 10-16. This week-long initiative provides an opportunity for educators and students all over the state to work together to make an impact on our state's waterways! Community groups, park districts, municipalities and other organizations are also invited to participate so long as youth are engaged!

Participating is free and can be as easy as a teacher leading a group of students in a cleanup in the neighborhood around their school. If you want to take it further, apply for a $500 grant to organize a community cleanup! Either way, technology can make it easy for students to become active service learners and citizen scientists:

Use the Clean Swell App to record trash-pickup data in real-time!

See the impact of your cleanup on Ocean Conservancy’s worldwide map

Access data from the 800,000+ people participating in similar cleanups worldwide!

Being a teacher myself, I know there is a lot of interest in service-learning, citizen science, and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I also know that many students want to contribute. Please consider participating in Illinois Waterway Cleanup Week yourself and spread the word through social media or by forwarding this email with a personal note attached!

Last October, seventh-graders at an Illinois middle school petitioned their school board to change Columbus Day to Explorers Day. Their efforts have led the district to create an Explorers Week so that students can learn about the contributions of many different explorers.Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.)

HEROES ON DECK: World War II on Lake MichiganNarrated by Bill Kurtis, this documentary explores the little-known chapter of WWII history immediately following the attack at Pearl Harbor that took place just off Chicago's shores. With enemy submarines patrolling both east & west coasts, Lake Michigan was chosen as a safe place for the location to train more than 15,000 aviators for eventual carrier based duty in the Pacific, including future president George H. W. Bush. Neophyte pilots and unforgiving weather conditions on the lake contributed to hundreds of accidents. As a result more than 100 WWII aircraft sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan.​​HEROES ON DECK is the story of Chicago during wartime, a bold and innovative training ​plan, ​​brave pilots,​ and the recovery of several historic aircraft. HEROES ON DECK, brings to life a vital episode of American history.​ ​

New Free Video Series from Bowdoin College: ​Founding Principles: American Governance in Theory and Action

A new series of short videos is being offered free of charge by Bowdoin College as its contribution to a national effort aimed at improving civics education in the United States. Titled “Founding Principles: American Governance in Theory and Action,” the series comprises a total of fifteen episodes, each eleven to fifteen minutes in length, that serve as a readily available instructive tool for use in classrooms and by anyone interested in better understanding the American system of government.

Written and narrated by Bowdoin College Government Professor Andrew Rudalevige, “Founding Principles” provides an introductory, non-partisan overview and basic understanding of American government—how it was formed, how it works, and how everyone can participate. The series was produced by Bowdoin with technical support from students at Emerson College.

During this pivotal election year, “Founding Principles” serves as a valuable resource in educating and informing current and future voters, building citizen-leaders, and promoting civic engagement. The series is currently being used in classrooms across New England with very positive feedback.

We at the college find it invaluable if you would share with your member base via an eNewsletter or on your website so that interested teachers can access it for this upcoming election season lesson plan. We have strong support from DOEs here in New England and teachers are loving this tool. If you could make teachers aware we would appreciate it!

Serve on an NCSS Operations CommitteeOperations committees carry out board-mandated operations, duties, and policies, as well as many of the necessary business and organizational functions of NCSS. Operations committees relate their work to Board directives, the long-range plan of NCSS, and the leadership theme of the year set by the Board. They make recommendations to the board and provide advice.You must be a member of NCSS to serve on a committee, serving on one committee at any time. NCSS is committed to expanding participation of underrepresented groups. Beginning teachers, elementary teachers, and minorities are encouraged to apply. Appointments will be made by the House of Delegates in November and NCSS President-Elect in June for terms that will begin the following July 1.Online Committee Application

Inspire your students with aField Tripto the ​Illinois Holocaust Museum

"As the decision makers of tomorrow children must understand the consequences of indifference and hate. They must not be bystanders, they must always be proactive and have the courage to speak up and care." -Holocaust Survivor, Aaron Elster

In Our Voices Tour For Grades 7th-12thExplorethe history of the Holocaust by taking an inquiry-based walk through our Karkomi Permanent Exhibition. Investigate the experiences of Holocaust survivors, witnesses, resistors, and rescuers through artifacts and testimony. Analyze the human and moral implications of individual choice, responsibility, and memory through connecting galleries and themes. Discover what influences our decision to act as bystanders or upstanders.Length: 3 hoursAvailable Times: 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 2:00 (weekdays), 11:00 (weekends), 5:00 (Thursday evenings)Group Size: 160 students maximumClick here for more information

Make a Difference:The Harvey L. Miller Family Youth Exhibition

Field Trips for 3rd through 6th grades

Peek inside school lockers to find surprising stories about Rosa Parks, Anne Frank and others who took a stand.

Give advice to kids in sticky situations or tell their own stories on video.

Make a pledge to be an upstander in their own community.

BECOME A WITNESS (GRADES 6+)Learn about the power of one voice to take a stand for positive change. Explore how questions of identity, human behavior, community, and culture connect to an introductory study of the history and lessons of the Holocaust. Topics include pre-war Jewish life, the Kindertransports, and post-war immigration.

MEMORY, ACTION, COMMUNITY (GRADES 5+)Discover ways to become more actively involved in your local and global communities through hands-on activities in Make a Difference: The Harvey L. Miller Family Youth Exhibition. Learn how identity, social responsibility, and community tie into a discussion of universal human and civil rights and introductory study of the Holocaust, including pre-war Jewish life, the Kindertransports, and post-war immigration.

TAKE A STAND (GRADES 3+)Through hands-on, interactive activities, discover what it takes to care for yourself and others, learn how to speak up for those being bullied, and understand core values of respect, compassion, justice, and citizenship.Develop the strategies and tools necessary to not only identify a problem, but also to identify and overcome any obstacles to solving that problem. This tour option does not include the Karkomi Permanent Exhibition.

Webinar Recording: ​Social Studies in the Every Student Succeeds Act

In case you could not join us for our January 13th legislative webinar: "Social Studies in the Every Student Succeeds Act," you can view this informative webinar recording at: www.socialstudies.org/advocacy/ESSA_Next_Steps and learn in greater detail about the social studies provisions included in ESSA, and what we need to do next to secure that funding and enable social studies educators to apply.

Chronicling Illinois showcases collections and items from the vast Illinois history holdings of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

ABOUT TRANSCRIBINGChronicling Illinois holds thousands of pages of handwritten diaries, letters, and other texts. While printed texts can be scanned with OCR (optical character recognition) technology to add full text searchability, there’s no such easy fix for handwritten documents. Making these items findable requires time-consuming manual labor to transcribe each item. Our library staff can never transcribe all of these documents, so we are appealing to the public to help out.

Through "crowdsourcing" (engaging volunteers to contribute effort toward large-scale goals) this massive archive of historical materials becomes searchable, allowing researchers to seek out specific information quickly, and general users to browse and enjoy the materials more easily. By volunteering their time to help make these materials more accessible, participants can learn new information about past eras while assisting others. Please join us in preserving our past by keeping the historic record accessible, one document at a time.

HOW TO TRANSCRIBEAnyone is welcome to contribute to the site. No special expertise is required. To transcribe documents, all you need to do is create an account by choosing a username and password, then respond to an e-mail message to verify your information. After confirming your information, simply select a document and type what you read, following a few simple directions.

The Great Thanksgiving ListenSponsored by StoryCorps in partnership withThe Library of Congress, TED, NPR, ABC News, Facing History and the National Council for the Social Studies

This Thanksgiving weekend, StoryCorps will work with teachers and high school students across the country to preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend.

Since 2003, StoryCorps has given more than 100,000 Americans a quiet booth and a facilitator to record meaningful conversations with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. The Great Thanksgiving Listen is its most ambitious initiative to date.

Open to everyone, The Great Thanksgiving Listen is a national assignment to engage people of all ages in the act of listening. The pilot project is specially designed for students ages 13 and over and as part of a social studies, history, civics, government, journalism, or political science class, or as an extracurricular activity. All that is needed to participate is a smartphone and the StoryCorps mobile app. Students will be asked to interview a grandparent or elder over Thanksgiving 2015 using the new free StoryCorps mobile app. Participants will upload their recordings to the StoryCorps archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In one holiday weekend StoryCorps hopes to gather more interviews than it has in the 12 years since its founding, and to capture an entire generation of American lives and experiences.

When you sign up for The Great Thanksgiving Listen, you will receive a special Educator’s Toolkit from StoryCorps with information on how to incorporate the assignment into your 2015 lesson plan. The curriculum will help students develop the following:

Research, archiving, and planning skills

Speaking skills that enable students to express ideas clearly and persuasively

Listening skills that reflect increased comprehension, lead to critical analysis, and advance discussion

An increased connectedness, to community and to school

A deepened sense of social awareness, exhibited by appreciation of diversity and respect for others

Book by ICSS Author

Vital WitnessesUsing Primary Sources in History and Social StudiesMARK NEWMAN

The use of primary sources as texts in the classroom is growing. Teachers realize these vital witnesses provide opportunities to motivate students and improve learning. They bring students closer to the people, places, and events being studied and help students improve content knowledge while building skills. Recent trends in standards, such as Common Core, and the increasing use of the Document-Based Questions also promote primary source use.

The strong push to use primary sources in teaching history and social studies creates a need among teachers for more information on what they are and how they can be used effectively in the classroom. Vital Witnesses meets this need by providing teachers with a comprehensive guide to primary sources and their use in the classroom. Primary sources are defined, and the various types are described. Classroom-tested activities and strategies are offered to teachers for addressing the needs of all learners and for accommodating Common Core standards and the C3 Framework for State Social Studies Standards.

The Unfinished Lives Educational Initiative is groundbreaking as it will be the first introduction and discussion of the Holocaust in which Middle and High School teachers can instruct and lead without requiring them to become Holocaust teaching certified.

This unique initiative does not attempt to chronicle the Holocaust (too complex) but rather personalize this event through the portrayal of extraordinary people chronicling their lives, showing their works and telling their compelling stories a midst the tumultuous historical times in which they lived . (Similar to the Ann Frank story concept which has endured for now over 70 years.)

The Teacher Practice Networks Annual Survey is designed to learn from teachers about the types of supports that are helping them implement new state standards, which may be referred to as the Common Core, College and Career Readiness Standards, or something else specific to your state or district. Your feedback will help National Council for the Social Studies in further defining teacher needs as it moves forward in developing College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework professional learning initiatives.

The Illinois State Library is again offering its Try It! Illinois statewide database trial. Through this program, we get a chance to try out innumerable library databases in a wide range of subject areas. I would encourage you to check it out. Here's the link to the Try It! page: http://www.finditillinois.org/tryit/. To access the databases, enter the following login information in the boxes at the right side of the screen:

USERNAME: free2usePASSWORD: illinet

There are all kinds of great sources to be found under the Education heading.

The National History Club Inc. (NHC) inspires students and teachers to start History Club chapters at high schools, middle schools, and within other student and community programs. Members of local History Club chapters participate in local and national programs, and create their own projects and activities. The NHC also provides chapters with resources and services that will help them increase the activity and impact of their History Club. To date, 500+ History Club chapters at high schools and middle schools in 44 states have joined the NHC, and there are over 14,000 student members.

When you join the National History Club, you join students and teachers from around the country—and the world—in discovering, learning, reading, writing, teaching, and living history. The NHC's main goal is to bring together students and teachers with a real passion for history, helping them learn from each other's ideas, experiences, and stories, which are distributed through our tri-annual eNewsletter, monthly eUpdates, and other communication methods.

We do not limit the scope of activities that a chapter may participate in—each club is allowed to navigate its own course. This allows for a wide-range of really interesting activities that are displayed in each Newsletter and on our website. Schools are free to decide whether their chapter will be a regular History Club (open to all) or a History Honor Society (with specific requirements for induction). The NHC also co-sponsors multiple award programs to recognize outstanding student members, Advisors, and chapters. For more information on the NHC and to find out how to join, please visit: www.nationalhistoryclub.org

American Education and Culture Ambassador ProgramTeach English in China!All Majors Welcomewww.ChineseCultureCenter.org(803) 252-9086Basic Requirements for Teaching Positions or Paid Summer Internship in China:a) Standard English Speakers in any major;b) Strong Leadership, Public Speaking, Social, and Interpersonal Skills.Benefits for you:1. Free Round-trip international airfare paid by your host school if you teach at the same school for two semesters.2. Free furnished-apartment usually on school campus.3. Well-paid positions with free Chinese lessons and paid holidays.4. Place your friends and family together5. Free TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Training and TESL Certification either at USC or online6. Deferment of Student's LoanRequired Application documents:a) Online registration on our website: www.ChineseCultureCenter.orgb) One-page resume emphasizing your teaching related experiences if any.Chinese Culture Center certified by the China State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) will take care of the tedious and complicated application procedures for you. Please find more program info online: www.ChineseCultureCenter.orgIf you don't have a passport yet, please call your local main post office to apply for one ASAP.

As you begin planning your spring lessons: The Illinois Holocaust Museum’s literature-based teaching trunk program provides K – 12 educators with a wide array of resources for classroom units on character education, human rights, the Holocaust and/or genocide. Each trunk allows educators to create meaningful, age/grade appropriate lessons employing award – winning fiction, non-fiction, historical reference materials, as well as DVDs and teaching posters. The focus of each trunk has been carefully developed to address State and National Learning Standards, including Common Core State Standards.

*The curriculum framework binder contains an introduction to each trunk; synopses of select books and films with rationale, discussion questions, and activities; additional resources; and professional readings.

Teachers get free memberships and with full access to Learning Bird. It canbe used as a classroom resource, a homework facilitator, for flippingclasses and for professional development. Teachers can also earn money whenstudents rate their lessons as helpful. Best of all, their lessons can reach students across the continent.

NCSS Award and Grant Selection Committees

NCSS is looking for members to serve on awards selection committees. The selection committees review nominations and select recipients of NCSS awards and grants. Committee members serve a three-year term and most committee work is accomplished online or by telephone. Members are also asked to make a reasonable effort to attend the award winner session, awards presentation, and assist the committee chair when need arises during the review or at the NCSS conference.Applications are accepted on a rolling basisClick here to volunteerOutstanding Elementary, Middle Level, or Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year awards recognize social studies teachers who have made outstanding contributions through her exceptional teaching in K-6, 5-8, or 7-12. Committee members evaluate nominations and forward the results to the Committee chair. Communications are through e-mail and/or telephone. Members are asked to make a reasonable effort to attend the award winner session, awards presentation, and assist the Committee chair when need arises during the review or at the NCSS conference.Eligibility: NCSS members who are current or previous elementary, middle, secondary level social studies teachers, administrators, teacher education faculty, or consultants are eligible to apply for the corresponding grade level committee. Familiarity with the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies is desirable. Previous recipients of NCSS or state council teacher of the year awards are especially encouraged to apply.The Award for Global Understanding recognizes a social studies educator or team of educators who have made notable contributions in helping social studies students increase their understanding of the world.Eligibility: NCSS members who are current or previous elementary, middle, secondary level social studies teachers, administrators, teacher education faculty, and/or consultants with a familiarity with the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies are eligible to serve on the Award for Global Understanding selection committee. Global/multicultural education practitioners or specialists and previous recipients of the award are encouraged to apply.Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy recognizes an exemplary program of geographic education that encourages the integration of geography into the social studies curriculum/classroom and enhances the geographic literacy of students at the classroom, district or state level.Eligibility: NCSS members who are current or previous social studies educators elementary, administrators, teacher education faculty, or consultants are eligible to serve on this committee. Experience with program, curriculum or teacher evaluation, a background as a geography education practitioner or specialist;and familiarity with National Geography Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies is desired.Carter G. Woodson Book Awards recognize elementary, middle level, and secondary outstanding social science books appropriate for young readers and young adult readers which depict race-ethnicity in the U.S. Committee members evaluate all nominated books. Committee members may be asked to assist with award-winning book author presentation sessions, awards presentation, and book signings at the NCSS Annual ConferenceEligibility: NCSS members who are current or previous social studies educators elementary, administrators, teacher education faculty, or consultants who are one or more of the following are eligible to serve on the committee:

ethnic studies practitioners or specialists;

classroom teachers who use children’s/young people’s literature in social studies instruction;

Free Materials To Teach About The Japanese American Internment

Fred Korematsu is remembered for his courageous fight against the Japanese American Internment which led to the WWII 1944 Supreme Court case, Korematsu v. United States. Fred Korematsu was exonerated almost 40 years later and was eventually awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.

FREE MATERIALS TO TEACH ABOUT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT AND FRED KOREMATSUThe Korematsu Institute (www.korematsuinstitute) wants to send you a FREE Teaching Kit that helps teachers instruct on the life of Fred Korematsu and the overall Japanese American internment during World War II.

PLEASE SHARE THE WORD ABOUT OUR MATERIALS WITH YOUR TEACHERSPlease inform your teachers about the FREE Teaching Kit. Help us spread the word about this pivotal story in U.S. History.

The Korematsu Institute (www.korematsuinstitute.org) has a wealth of free teaching materials that help students learn about Fred and the Japanese American internment during World War II. Some items include:* a K-12 teaching guide,* a Fred Korematsu classroom poster,* the 24 minute version of the Emmy Award winning video, "Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, the Fred Korematsu Story."

Start a Rho Kappa Chapter Today!

RHO KAPPA National Social Studies Honor Society is the only national organization for high school juniors and seniors that recognizes excellence in the field of social studies. Membership in RHO KAPPA is an honor bestowed upon students by a local chapter for accomplishments in social studies and overall academic achievement. Any accredited high school can apply to start a chapter, through which students will be inducted into the RHO KAPPA Social Studies Honor Society.

Become a Gilder Lehrman Affiliate in 15-20 minutes

Step One –go to http://www.gilderlehrman.org/programs-exhibitions/affiliate-school-program-application Step Two- go to create an account and click on register to get the application Step 3- the application is online and the first 2 pages are administrative: teacher’s name, school name, principal’s name, grade level of school, school affiliation with TAH,NAIS,church (if applicable or just N/A),school webpage-This should take about 5-10 minutes Last step- there are 2 blocks to fill out. One is demographic information that is either on the school district web page or easily retrieved from the guidance department: how many students in each grade/what is the ethnic / racial % of the school. Just paste that in once you get that information The last block asks why you want to be an affiliate. Teachers can rephrase 3-4 sentences from the following and paste the response in to the last block: We want to become an affiliate so that our teachers Will have access to the numerous resources on American History Would like to participate in professional development opportunities Would also appreciate access to the web portal with his lesson plans, teachable documents, videos, podcasts, toolkits Availability of classroom materials, posters, multimedia kits, resource boxes and traveling exhibitions will increase our teacher’s ability to bring history alive for our students in our classrooms. Access to the Gilder Lehrman Collection which will assist our teachers in providing document-based history education to our students Eligibility for national history prizes and essay contests for our students Would like to start a history club at our school